


The Perfect Match

by furyofthetimelords



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe - Bookstore, Alternate Universe - Urban Fantasy, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, M/M, Magic, Matchmaking, Non-Serum Steve Rogers/Winter Soldier Bucky Barnes | Shrinkyclinks, Slow Build, Stucky Big Bang 2016
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-28
Updated: 2016-08-28
Packaged: 2018-08-11 13:26:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 16,121
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7894369
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/furyofthetimelords/pseuds/furyofthetimelords
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After a string of bad dates, Steve is convinced by his roommate Natasha to try out a Matchmaking service - a magical service that finds you the Perfect Match. However what he doesn't expect is to be Matched with his arsehole co-worker Bucky Barnes. But as time goes by, Steve realises he might just be wrong about Bucky.</p><p>(Or, how to seduce your enemy-turned-crush in ten steps or less)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Man, I can't believe this fic is finally done. It's been quite an effort to get it done and it's gone through a bunch of changes since I started, but I'm really happy with this one. Thanks so much to the people over at thestuckylibrary for putting this together. 
> 
> [art](http://archiveofourown.org/works/7893247) by lovesfic can be found here!

 

“So, how was the big date?” Natasha asks as Steve walks in.

“I don’t want to talk about it,” Steve replies, and makes a beeline for his room, ready to throw himself back into some sort of distraction. He doesn’t ever want to think about tonight again. However, Natasha is suddenly up and standing in front of him before he even gets halfway to his door.

“What the hell happened?” she asks, looking him right in the eye. She might only be an inch shorter than him, but her fierce demeanour more than makes up for that. This is someone who won’t let him just walk away from a hard conversation. “I thought you liked Parker.”

Steve frowns at the mention of his date’s name. “I thought I did too,” he says, and tries to make a move away, but Natasha just pulls him back to the couch.

“We’re talking about this,” she says decisively and sits him down. “Do you want a drink now or later?”

“Now,” he says, and flops back into the couch. Maybe the alcohol will make this conversation easier.

Natasha nods and moves into the kitchen swiftly, pulling out a bottle of unopened Russian vodka from a cupboard. Steve’s not exactly sure when she keeps buying it, but there always seems to be a bottle or two around.

“Double?” she asks.

“Might as well,” he says, knowing she’ll pour one for him anyway. Though, knowing Nat, it might as well be a triple with the way she pours drinks.

“Good,” she says and pours out two glasses. “Before we start, tell me – do I need to find him?”

Steve shakes his head. “Don’t worry about it,” he replies. He doesn’t doubt she could do it – Natasha Romanov is one of those people who just _knows_ things. Steve doesn’t question it – it might be magic, it might be something else, but whatever it is, Natasha is always startlingly resourceful.

As she walks over, Steve reflects on the date. This was by far not the first time he’d walked away disappointed. Most people tended to be pretty dismissive of him – they, for purely shallow reasons often pass up a short, skinny guy like him, but he’d really thought Parker was different.

Parker was one of the many regulars who’d shown up at Arrow Books, and they’d had a lot of great conversations about books. So Steve, at Natasha’s prompting, had asked the guy out. But the moment the date began (with Parker rushing in a good fifteen minutes late), things started to fall apart. The conversations had been stilted at best, and anytime Steve had tried to salvage things, Parker had talked over him and dismissed him at every turn. It was such a strange shift from the conversations at the store that Steve almost couldn’t figure out what happened.

This of course wasn’t his first bad date, and he’d made it out of there as soon as he could, but Steve couldn’t help but feel disappointed. Even before the date, he’d been wondering if he was cursed at all – surely it wasn’t just a little bad luck, but all the tests he’s done indicate this was just the way it was – no hexes or curses involved. It wasn’t a very inspiring thought.

“So,” Natasha begins as she slides over his drink (which was _definitely_ a triple), “tell me about it.”

Steve downs the vodka and told her the whole story, feeling more and more pathetic as he outlines the evening. He should’ve been able to see the signs – lateness should’ve been his first clue, but he’d foolishly held out hope.

 _I really need to stop hoping_ , he thinks sadly.

“Well, then fuck him,” Natasha says bluntly and reaches for the bottle again, which she’s brought with her.

“I didn’t want to. That’s the problem,” Steve replies and holds out his glass for another drink. Natasha pours it out liberally. This one could probably qualify as at least four drinks.

“That sucks,” Natasha says, her voice just a little too casual. “But have you ever thought about going to a Matchmaker?”

“A what?” he asks, nearly choking on his drink. Sure, he’s heard of a lot of strange kinds of spell casters (this is New York after all), but never something like a _Matchmaker_. It sounds like a gimmick, and not at all the sort of thing Nat would normally recommend. He wonders if she might be fucking with him, but her expression is perfectly serious.

“A Matchmaker,” Natasha repeats. “They’re everywhere now.”

Steve frowns. “How do you know they work?” he asks. Though magic is simply a fact of life, Steve’s keenly aware of all the scammers out there (you didn’t get to be a child with as many health issues as he had without encountering more than a few fakes that could develop a miracle cure-all before finding someone who actually knew their stuff).

Natasha raises an eyebrow at him. “Would I ever lead you astray, Rogers?”

Steve shakes his head. Despite her habit for practical jokes on occasion, Natasha never has been one to lie to him about things like this. He trusts her explicitly in matters like this – after all, it was her who all but saved his life when she found Erskine and his magical cures for Steve’s many illnesses (at first, he was wary of the idea that anyone had enough power to help, but somehow she’d found it for him).

However, the problem isn’t trust – the problem is that he doesn’t know what he’d do if something like this doesn’t work. The idea of a Matchmaker seems like something out of one of the many harlequin romance stories that sell like mad with the older women (and the odd man) who frequent the store.

“It can’t hurt to try,” Natasha says, sensing his hesitation.

“I don’t know,” he says and looks down at his now empty glass. Could something like this Matchmaker be the solution he’s looking for?

“It’s like being set up, but better,” Natasha says. “They’re not wrong.”

Steve looks back up at her. There’s not a trace of teasing on her face. Steve has a strange sense of déjà vu looking at her – it’s almost exactly like when she recommended Erskine to him.

“Alright,” he says with a sigh. “Let’s do it.”

//

The first thing Steve notices about the Matchmaker’s office is the complete lack of romantic décor. He’s expecting pink hearts and photos of happy couples on the wall, maybe even some sort of feel-good runes scribbled on the wall, but there’s nothing like that. The office looks so ordinary that Steve almost feels like he’s walked into the wrong place, but there’s a sign on the desk – _Matchmaker back in five_ – that confirms he’s in the right space.

Steve sits down, well aware he’s radiating nerves, but he can’t help the anxiety. He’d been sure about the decision last night, but now he’s not so sure. What if this is a mistake? Natasha had explained more about it last night, making out like everyone and their mother has visited a Matchmaker, but he hasn’t ever heard about these people before.

“Hey, you’re the 11 o’clock, right?” a voice called out and Steve turned to see a man standing in the doorway. He’s tall with bright green eyes and dark hair, but he’s not exactly conventionally attractive, however there’s something about him that makes Steve want to pay attention. “I’m Carter – the Matchmaker.”

“Uh, yeah, I’m Steve,” he replies, suddenly feeling self-conscious about what Carter might think of him. He wonders if he’s being judged for it – Steve’s well aware of how he looks and what people assume about him, so maybe Carter thinks he’s another desperate idiot walking in here expecting the world when he might not get something good. It’s not like people are lining up to date him, so what chance does he even have?

“You know I can feel your nerves from all the way over here?” The Matchmaker says and Steve feels a flash of embarrassment. “No, don’t worry about it. Just relax – I won’t bite.”

“Oh – yeah. Okay,” Steve says.

“So, Steve, what are you looking for here?” Carter said as he sat down behind the desk.

“Don’t you already know?”

Carter shakes his head. “Not exactly. I mean I could probably pick something up if I worked at it enough, but it helps to have in my head exactly what you want in your words. I could probably pick ten people out of a hat whom you’d be good with, but not all in the same way. I put all kinds of people into contact with each other, so it helps when I know what you want. So, is it something casual, or are you looking for something a little more serious?”

“Serious,” Steve replies, feeling a little embarrassed for it, but he’d promised Natasha last night he’ll be honest here (“Don’t hold back, Steve – just say what you want and it’ll be found,” she’d told him). “I want someone I can date and fall in love with.”

“I can work with that easy – I’m good with romance,” Carter says with a smile. “Gender preference?”

“Not especially,” Steve replies. “I’m bisexual.”

“Polyamorous?”

“Not really.”

“Alright then,” Carter says and taps the table excitedly. “Let’s start with a quick energy read, just so I can get to know you a little better before I work my magic.”

He finishes it off with a wink, and Steve has to stop himself from blushing.

“So, how do we do that?” Steve asks.

“Contact,” Carter replies. “No – don’t worry, I just need to touch your palm – hold out your hand for me.”

Steve complies. Carter’s hand is oddly warm and comforting, like a hug after a long day’s work.

“Sorry,” Carter says. “That whole thing is a side effect of well, being a Matchmaker. I can’t help it.”

“It’s fine,” Steve replies.

“It’ll just take a minute,” Carter reassures him and closes his eyes. Steve watches on, slightly fascinated as Carter glows – he’s taken on a slight pinkish hue. After a while, the colour fades and Carter opens his eyes. He smiles brightly.

“So…” Steve says awkwardly, removing his hand. It still feels warm and he rubs it absently. His palm tingles. “Was that good?”

“Oh, yeah, totally,” Carter replies, eyes alight with excitement. “I think I might’ve found someone already.”

Steve raises his eyebrows. “I thought you’d need to do another reading, or something.”

“Oh, me too for sure, but something popped out at me during the reading, so I’m rolling with it. This is the best – like, I think I’ve found someone good for you.”

Steve wonders for a moment if Carter might be conning him, but the excitement on his face seems genuine. “So, what happens now?”

“I’ll just finish off the charm – I’m putting a quick rune on your arm – don’t worry, it will fade over time. It’s just so you’ll know when you meet your Match. The thing will change colour to pink.”

“You’re not going to tell me their name?”

“I was getting to that – I just need to get this set now so it’ll be extra strong. Don’t worry – it’s just a little indicator so you’ll know you’ve got the right person. Hold out your arm again.”

Steve obeys, and he watches as Carter traces a pattern on his forearm, light grey lines appearing on his arm. The pattern isn’t like any rune he’s seen before – the lines are curved and smooth, not like the rigidly geometric patterns he’s used to.

“Ah, that’s it,” Carter says and removes his hand from Steve’s arm. “So, names, you want?”

“It’s optional?”

Carter shrugs. “Some people like a little mystery to this sort of thing – those people I give a little extra luck charm and they’re off.”

“Doesn’t that seem a little too…risky?”

“Oh, no. The charms pretty much bring people together within a week,” Carter replies.

“So, I could just do that, or?”

“Well, I could give you name and arrange a meeting, if you want. But there’s no pressure.”

“Maybe I’ll just start with a name,” Steve replies.

“Sure thing,” Carter says and types something into his computer. “And…ah yeah, here he is. Time to meet your Match.”

He turned the screen around.

Steve braced himself, praying it wasn’t going to be the name of some terrible date he’d run away from before. Oh god what if it was –

“ _Bucky_?” he blurts out, shock washing over him. He blinks a few times, just to be sure. But the name on the screen doesn’t change. _James Barnes_ , it reads.

Carter looks rightfully confused. “Who’s Bucky?”

“Do you have a picture at all?” Steve asks a little desperately. Maybe it’s not him. Maybe it’s just some other guy with the same name. It could all be a coincidence, but a sinking feeling in his stomach is telling him this isn’t an accident.

Carter shakes his head. “No, sorry – part of the policy here is that we hold off on pictures until the two of you meet. The rune’s supposed to take care of that.”

“Was he tall, maybe six foot and, uh, long brown hair? Sort of scowl-y?” Steve asks.

“Blue eyes too?” Carter asks.

Steve nods.

“Yeah, that’s James. Do you know him or something?”

“We, uh, work together,” Steve says, stomach sinking. He feels like he might be sick – this isn’t happening. He’s not _matched_ with Bucky of all people.

“Oh, so you’re friends already?” Carter asks.

“He’s not my favourite person,” Steve says weakly, which he knows is probably the understatement of the century. He hates Bucky Barnes – the guy is the epitome of an asshole and is perhaps the worst stacker Steve’s ever met. When they’d first been introduced, Steve thought they might be able to get along. But that’d gone downhill fast and after that fateful first shift, he’d immediately asked to change his shift times just so he could avoid the guy. Sometimes they’d run into each other, but Steve has done his damnedest to avoid the guy.

“What?” Carter says, clearly caught off-guard by Steve’s admission.

“I don’t like him,” Steve repeats. “Couldn’t you tell?”

Carter shakes his head. “I’m not a psychic. I just read your energy, and the two of you matched like crazy. I don’t often see that sort of compatibility.”

“He hates me,” Steve replies. “I hate him. We’re not gonna fall in love.”

“Are you sure?”

“I’m sure,” Steve says.

Carter looks like he doesn’t quite believe it.

“Can you get rid of this?” Steve asks and gestures to the rune on his arm. “I mean, is there someone else? I could wait.”

Carter suddenly looked a little guilty. “Well, uh, nobody’s really ever refused a Match before. So, I’ve never had to undo anything, and well, I can’t?”

“What do you mean you can’t?”

Carter sighs. “I mean, I’m never wrong in this business – and trust me, I’ve been at it quite a while.”

“There’s a first for everything.”

“Yeah, well, I don’t think I am here. And well, the spell has been cast, and messing with that is never a good idea.”

“This is black magic?”

“Fuck no,” he says, clearly offended. “I mean it’s definitely not, _but_ magic like this is pretty delicate. If I mess with that, then it might have some adverse side effects.”

Steve is suddenly struck with a horrible thought. “Does he know already?”

Carter shakes his head. “It doesn’t work like that. Most of the time, I read someone and then wait a little while before the right person comes in. These days’ people wait maybe a week, if that. Then I call them up and let them know about the match.”

“Did he ask for a name?”

“I was going to call him as soon as you left.”

“Can you…. Not?” Steve asks. “I mean, if he knew it wouldn’t make anything easier for either of us. And I can wait for someone else.”

Carter sighs. “Look, I’m not gonna spout bullshit about soulmates or anything like that, but I think you should give this, uh, Bucky a chance. Maybe the two of you just started off on the wrong foot.”

Steve shakes his head. “I wish it was that easy,” he replies. “But we’re not going to be getting along anytime soon. Please don’t tell him – it’ll just make everything worse.”

“You do realise when you see him, he’ll know anyway?”

“Well, if he doesn’t know he’s matched, then I can deal with it. This fades, right?”

“Yeah, totally. But it will take a while, and trust me when I say it’s not a weak bond. I put a luck charm in there too, so you’re definitely going to see each other soon.”

“How long?”

“A few weeks, usually. But please, don’t get any ideas about breaking it yourself. I wasn’t kidding about the potential side effects.”

“Then I can wait it out. Just don’t tell him, please. It’s really not going to do any good for either of us,” Steve says as confidently as he can. He might not have a plan now, but with a little research, he’ll work it out. Nat is sure to know something about this.

Carter sighs, clearly disappointed with Steve’s reactions. “Fine, but you’re paying extra for this. And don’t think it’s going to be easy – that good luck charm is pretty strong.”

“I’ll make it work,” Steve said firmly.

//

Once she’s stopped laughing, Natasha confirms Carter’s warnings. “You break this, it’s not going to be pretty. The whole thing could inverse, and who knows how long that’ll last.”

“Inverse?” Steve says.

“Or worse,” she says with a shrug. “You never know what breaking something might do with these things.”

“So it’s possible?” Steve asks desperately. If there’s even the smallest chance, he’ll take it. He’s been hoping that Natasha might have some secret answer to all of this, but those hopes are fading.

“The same way jumping off a skyscraper and surviving is,” Natasha says bluntly. “And I’m not going to let you do that to yourself.”

“Are you sure?”

Natasha nods. “I didn’t think it’d work out like this,” she says. “Honestly, I thought it’d be good for you.”

“It’s alright. Anyone else and I might’ve been happy,” Steve says, the anger suddenly fading right out of him as the reality of the situation hits. Of _course_ he’d get stuck with someone like Bucky, as opposed to someone decent. It isn’t like there are people out there lining up to date him. Sometimes, he wishes the magic that fixed his illnesses had done more - maybe made him taller, more muscular and better looking.

“Could he really be that bad?” Natasha asks.

Steve rolls his eyes. “I’ve told you all the stories – besides, last week he fucked up my entire shelving of the science fiction section _again_. He’s not following the system!”

“Maybe you need to rethink things?”

“It’s a magical bookstore, Nat. He needs to learn that,” Steve says, anger coming back in full force. They might not sell a whole lot of magical books, but the shop itself had _character_ , as it’s politely called. Shelves often rearranged themselves overnight, and it was up to the employees to adapt. Steve knows that better than anyone else in the store, and he’s done his best to make sure every time people walk in that things can be found.

Bucky doesn’t get that. More than once, he’d seen the guy trying to move the shelves _himself_. As if something like Arrow Books would let that happen. The place was sensitive, and Steve appreciated that. Bucky clearly didn’t. If it were up to him, he’d fire Bucky, but Clint, the store’s owner, doesn’t seem to want to and Steve trusts Clint, even if he thinks it’s a bad decision. Maybe there’s some other reason for keeping the guy on, so Steve tries not to argue about it. Much.

“You’ll be fine, Steve,” Natasha says and then breaks out into laughter again. “Sorry – aha – oh you really got lucky, huh?”

“This isn’t funny,” Steve shoots back.

“It really is,” Natasha replies. “I mean, it’s like a movie.”

“I’m doomed,” Steve moans.

“Don’t be so dramatic,” Natasha says. “This might not be so terrible.”

“For you, maybe” Steve mutters.


	2. Chapter 2

 

In Steve’s mind, there are few places better to work in than Arrow Books – everything about it, from the smell of books both old and new and the familiarity of the impossibly tall shelves that change their minds at a whim makes it feel like a second home.

As he always does, Steve makes a beeline for the front desk, where Clint has helpfully supplied a map for the store’s current layout (there wasn’t much of a pattern to when the shelves shifted, but they changed just about every week). Steve glances over it and sighs in relief when it’s not too chaotic. It’s definitely not as bad as last month’s mess where the cooking books were in with the spell books (since then, there’d been a sign up urging customers to ask staff before looking for books).

“The erotica is in with the biographies, again,” a voice says and Steve looks up to see Kate Bishop, his shift buddy, standing there with a mug full of coffee.

Steve frowns. “Again?”

“Yeah. They just moved then,” Kate replies. “I was just about to fix the map.”

“Should we move them?”

Kate shrugs. “Just put up a note,” she says. “So, what’s up in the world of Steve Rogers today?”

“Not much,” Steve lies. There’s no way he’ll ever mention his whole Match thing to Kate – she’s a good kid, but the moment she knew something like _that_ she’d probably tell Clint, or worse, Bucky. And there is no way he’s letting Bucky know.

“Shame. I start summer classes tomorrow,” Kate complains.

“Isn’t that a good thing?” Steve replies, like he hasn’t been hearing this conversation for weeks.

“ _No_ ,” Kate replies. “That’s not good.”

“You still gonna work?”

“Of course I am. Just means I’ll have to take the late shifts,” Kate says with a sigh. “I’ll miss this.”

“We’ll work together again.”

Kate rolls her eyes, but she’s smiling. “In some other life, maybe. I’m doomed, here.”

Suddenly, there’s a loud _crash_ from the back of the store.

Steve is about to ask, but Kate waves him off. “It’s just Clint,” she say by way of explanation. “He’s moving in new stock.”

Steve winces. “Ouch,” he says. That’s by far his least favourite job in the store, and he doesn’t envy Clint in the slightest.

“Yeah, I’ll go back to helping him in a minute, so you’re on your own out here. You think you can handle it?”

“Of course I can,” Steve replies. “Just don’t let Clint break too much.”

Kate gives him a lazy salute and moves back into the depths of the store.

 _Today is going to be fine_ , Steve tells himself and goes back to the map. He picks it up and decides to give the store one more check though to make sure nothing else has shifted. As he wanders through the stacks, he can hear the distant sounds of Clint’s grumbling and Kate’s laughter. It’s always a weirdly comforting experience. Though, the first few times he’d been inside Arrow Books, it was a surreal experience – though the store itself looks small on the outside, the warren of shelves is like some kind of labyrinth; the store has been featured in a few different magazines because of it – they weren’t the only magical bookstore out there by far, but few were just as curiously tangled as this place.

It’s about an hour before Steve manages to find his way back to the counter. It’s not the longest he’s spent lost in the stacks, but it’s by no means the shortest trip (on occasion, the store does like to disorientate people and make them wander for what feels like a short amount of time, when in fact it’s several hours).

As Steve’s shift gets closer to the end, he feels an edge of nervousness – Bucky’s going to show up any minute, ready to take over for the next shift. He’s been avoiding thinking about it much all day, but now it’s all he can think about. Will Bucky somehow work it out? Has Carter gone behind Steve’s back and said something about it?

 _Stop thinking about it, you’ll be fine_ , he tells himself, but Steve’s not sure he believes it. He knows Nat would be making fun of him right about now, but he can’t help it. The front doorbell rings.

Steve freezes like a deer caught in the headlights. He looks up towards the door, and breathes a sigh of relief when it’s just another customer - and one he recognises at that.

“Hey, can I help you?” Steve asks.

“Hey, Steve,” Wanda Maximoff says with a smile. “I’m just browsing today.”

“Good luck out there,” he says, although he knows she doesn’t need it. Unlike most customers, Wanda seems to be one of the few people who just _know_ the stacks. He thinks it might be a magic thing – she’s a particularly powerful witch, with a gift for some of the more dangerous kinds of magic (a fact she doesn’t like to disclose to most people). Because of this, he lets her just wander around in the stacks unattended - normally it’s policy to keep an eye on all customers, but Wanda is safe enough on her own.  

Suddenly, Wanda’s eyes catch on Steve’s arm. “You got a Match?” she asks with a smile.

“Oh, uh, how could you tell?” he asks.

“It’s powerful magic,” she replies.

“Could you get rid of it?”

Wanda frowns. “I don’t think I could. Meddling with those things is a complicated task. Why?”

“Oh, nevermind. I was curious,” Steve says, and then glances over at the door, where he sees a familiar figure there. It’s Bucky.

 _Shit_ , Steve thinks, panic rising in his gut as Bucky walks into the store. He hopes Wanda doesn’t notice, but she’s giving him a _look_.

“Hello James,” Wanda says brightly, turning to smile at Bucky.

Bucky smiles back at her. “Hey,” he says. “Find anything good?”

“Oh, I’m just about to go looking,” she says and gives them both a wave as she disappears into the stacks. Steve internally sighs in relief. He isn’t sure what he would’ve done if she’d mentioned Matchmaking in front of Bucky.

It suddenly hits him that Bucky definitely went to a Matchmaker. _Bucky_ was looking for love. He almost can’t wrap his head around it – not because he can’t see people wanting love, but because it’s _Bucky_. Bucky who’s cranky more often than not, and has never said a nice thing to Steve. That Bucky went to a matchmaker.

And on top of all of that, he’s supposed to be Steve’s perfect Match. It’s all to weird, and Steve gapes for a moment too long before realising it’s suddenly a pretty awkward moment now Wanda’s gone.

“Map’s over here,” Steve says, trying to fill the silence, and passes the map over to Bucky. Steve’s suddenly thankful he wore long sleeves today, so Bucky can’t see the Mark on his arm, which he figures is probably bright pink by now.

Bucky reaches out for the map with his left arm. Steve tries not to look at the shiny metal hand too much, but it’s kind of hard not too. It’s definitely one of a kind – the first time Steve had seen it, he’d done some research to discover nobody out there made anything like it, magically or no. Bucky’s never talked about it either – most of the time, he wears long sleeves, and until recently, he always wore gloves.

“Oh, and the erotica moved in with the biographies today – I almost forgot,” Steve adds, trying to distract himself from staring at Bucky’s arm. Or thinking about the Match. He really, really hopes Bucky won’t notice anything. Carter never said anything about a physical sensation to go with the colour change, so he hopes Bucky won't figure it out.

Bucky looks up from the map and frowns. “When?”

“This morning – and they don’t seem to want to move,” Steve says pointedly.

Bucky just glares at him. “We should fix that,” he says.

“It’s magic; you can’t fix it,” Steve replies. They’ve had this argument a thousand times before, and it always goes the same way. Bucky always insisting there’s got to be a way to implement some ridiculous order rather than just letting the store do its thing. Steve gets how it can be frustrating, but you can’t fight magic like this. Besides, Bucky doesn’t need to be so terrible about it.

Bucky doesn’t reply to that. “Your shift’s done,” he says and Steve glances at the clock – sure enough, it’s three on the dot.

“I was just leaving,” Steve says and picks his bag up and walks out the door, heart pounding in his chest.

 _That was too close_ , he thinks.

//

The next day, there’s a neat _staff meeting at three_ scribbled on the bottom corner of the map. Steve’s not sure why Clint doesn’t just tell them, but the message gets through. So, when the time comes he makes his way out back to Clint’s ‘office’, which is more of a glorified storage room than anything.

“Hey, Steve,” Clint says. He’s got an ugly purple bruise on his cheek, and what looks like the beginnings of a black eye. Steve winces.

“Was that the new stock?” he asks, making a mental note to avoid it for a few days if it was.

Clint shakes his head and takes a sip of his coffee. “Nah, just some Russians.”

Steve doesn’t ask. Clint’s always been involved in a lot of strange things, and owning a magical bookstore is perhaps the most normal thing about the guy. But he’s a good boss, so Steve doesn’t really question it.

Kate’s already in the room too, drinking her own coffee and looking at Clint with an unamused expression.

Peter Parker, the store’s youngest employee, is there too. He’s not often there, thanks to his crazy high school senior schedule, but he’s a good worker and startlingly good at navigating the stacks for someone with no apparent magical ability.

“Yo,” Peter Quill says as he walks in, offering a fist bump for Clint. Like always, he’s got his headphones on and blasting out music from his ancient cassette player.

Clint returns the fist bump and Quill sits down in one of the chairs and pulls off his headphones.

“What we in for now, boss?” he asks.

“Just waiting on Barnes,” is all Clint says, and there’s a moment of silence. Steve shifts and double-checks his sleeves as subtly as possible – if Bucky’s going to be here, Steve doesn’t want any chance of his Mark showing. If anybody else found out, the teasing would be endless.

Eventually, Bucky walks in. “What’s this about?” he asks and takes the last available seat, which _of course_ , is right next to Steve.

“Can’t a guy just have a meeting with all his employees for fun? Jeez.”

Bucky gives Clint a look.

“Just about the new schedule changes,” Clint replies. “Kate here is going to be in a lot less, and we need someone to cover mornings.”

Steve feels a little panicked, but tells himself it’s fine. Maybe Bucky can’t swap shifts, and he’ll just get stuck working with Quill. He’d be able to live with that.

“No can do, bro,” Quill says with a shrug.

Steve’s stomach drops.

“I have classes,” Peter says apologetically.

“No worries kid,” Clint says, and then goes to look at Bucky. “Barnes?”

Bucky sighs. “Fine,” he says. He doesn’t look happy about this.

 _Oh no_ , Steve thinks. There’s no way this is happening now.

“Knew I could count on you,” Clint says. “Kate will cover afternoons, so you’re on mornings with Steve.”

Bucky looks like he wants to say something to that, but doesn’t.

“And we’re done here,” Clint says and takes another long drink from his cup and tries to put it down on a stack of books, but it falls to the ground. “Aw, mug.”

Steve goes over to help as the rest of his co-workers filter out.

“I know you’re not happy about having to work with Barnes,” Clint says as they’re picking up the shards

“It’ll be fine,” Steve says and grabs a few of the fallen books.

“Just give him a chance, okay?” Clint says, giving Steve an intent look. “He’s not a bad guy.”

“I’ll work with him just fine,” Steve says. He means it – despite how much he dislikes Bucky, he’s not going to let it get in the way of his job.

“Good,” Clint says and dumps the broken mug in the bin. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

//

Steve collapses on the couch and tunes into the Food Network as soon as he gets home, with absolutely no intentions of moving until late. That’s where Natasha finds him hours later when she gets home from her job.

“Tough day?” she asks.

“I have to work with Bucky,” Steve replies, sinking further into the couch.

“You’re already co-workers,” Nat says, giving him a look as she shits down beside him.

“He’s on my shifts now. Kate’s got college classes.”

“Do you want a drink, then?” she asks.

Steve shakes his head. “I need to be up early.”

“Suit yourself,” she replies. “Is it really going to be that bad?”

“Yes,” he says. “We fight enough as it is, and I promised Clint I’d be fine with it, but it’s – fuck. The Mark. He’s going to notice.”

“Just wear long sleeves. Or have an adult conversation and move on with your life.”

“I can’t do that,” Steve says. He doesn’t think he’d ever be able to recover from a conversation as awkward as that. Besides, Carter said it would fade within a few weeks, and Steve’s determined to wait this one out. He’s never shied away from confrontation, but this is different. This isn’t a rude customer or bigoted stranger - this is _personal_.

“If you say so,” Nat replies.

“I’m cursed,” Steve complains.

“You’re not cursed. I would know if you were,” Nat says finally. “Now, can we get back to Cake Boss or what?”

Steve sighs and turns the volume up on the television.

//

Steve goes into work feeling as if he’s about to go off to war. He deliberately arrives as early as he can, just so he can have a moment to himself. It’s strange being here without Kate, whose chatter normally helps make the mornings easier.

Clint is sitting at the front desk when Steve walks in. The bruises on his face are still no less purple, though Clint’s somehow found a shirt that’s almost the exact same shade as his bruises as if that might offset how bad they look. Steve doesn’t often make a point of trying to understand the finer points of Clint’s life choices.

“Hey Steve,” Clint says with a wave. “Map hasn’t changed.”

“Thank god,” Steve replies. _One less thing to deal with_ , he thinks gratefully.

“Oh, and if a bunch of guys in tracksuits come in, I’m not here,” Clint says, and hops up off his seat.

Steve frowns. “Sure,” he says. “Do I need to call the cops?”

Clint waves him off. “I’ve got this,” he says and wanders back into the stacks.

Steve’s sceptical, but he figures Clint might know what he’s talking about so he scribbles down a quick note about it – _don’t talk to tracksuits_ – and gets to work logging the last of yesterday’s sales into the system.

Bucky comes in a few minutes later. “Rogers,” he says by way of greeting.

“Bucky,” Steve says with a nod. He’s already triple-checked his sleeves, and even borrowed some foundation off Natasha to cover the Mark, but there’s still Bucky’s Mark to think of. Steve realises he’s banking a lot on the fact that Bucky won’t roll up his sleeves while they’re around each other.

 _This will be fine_ , he tells himself firmly, trying not to let the panic take hold.

“Anything changed?” Bucky asks, and picks up the map.

“Not today.”

“I’ll get on shelving,” is all Bucky says before disappearing into the stacks.

“Please don’t,” Steve calls out, but he figures it’ll fall on deaf ears. Bucky’s probably going to try and rearrange everything whether he likes it or not.

Steve wants to go after Bucky, but he remembers his promise to Clint about working together, so he takes a deep breath and goes back to work on the computer. The work is boring, but he gets stuck into a rhythm and soon all thoughts of Bucky and Matchmaking are out of his head.

Of course, that’s about when things start to go wrong.

It starts when Peggy Carter comes in. She’s one of Steve’s favourite regulars – an older woman who often ends up buying thick fantasy novels and tells Steve stories about her days as a spy. He’s not sure how much of it’s real, but he goes along with it anyway. She’s an excellent storyteller.

“Hello, Steve,” Peggy says when she walks in.

“Here for another one?” Steve asks.

Peggy laughs. “Of course,” she says. “Where are they today?”

Steve hops up off his chair. “I’ll show you,” he says. Though he has no doubt Peggy could navigate the store herself, he likes talking with her.

“I liked the one you gave me last time - _Yarrow_ ,” Peggy said. “Has he written anything else?”

Steve thinks for a moment. “Plenty of things – you should read _Dreams Underfoot_. It’s a collection of short stories.”

“Tell me more,” Peggy says with a smile.

So, Steve goes on to tell her more about all the Charles de Lint they have – which is admittedly not many despite the author’s prolific collection. Most of it is out of publication, though sometimes Steve finds old editions of his earlier works shelved in random places. He takes Peggy through to the fantasy section, weaving through the haphazard setup.

But, as they round another corner, they run into Bucky. He’s re-shelving, _again_. They’re clearly not new books too – most of them have the look of books that have been in the store a while – that slightly unreal shine and a permanent layer of dust. And definitely not ones Bucky should be attempting to re-shelve.

“Steve,” Bucky says blandly, and despite being caught, continues to shelve. Steve digs his fingernails into his palms. Normally, he has no problem calling out Bucky, but Peggy’s here and he doesn’t want to be rude.

“Bucky,” Steve says, and then turns back to Peggy. “Wrong turn – we’ll go back to the fiction.”

Peggy doesn’t say anything to it, but she’s giving him a look. Steve ignores it, and continues to tell Peggy about another couple of series he thinks she might enjoy. Eventually, she settles on one of them and buys the first couple of books, promising to be back later for the rest.

Once he’s sure she’s gone, Steve makes a beeline for where he thinks Bucky still is.

“You shouldn’t be touching those,” Steve says when he finds Bucky again, who, sure enough, is _still_ working on trying to re-shelve those books. Steve’s honestly surprised the guy hasn’t been injured yet. The store is usually sensitive about these things.

Bucky frowns at him. “I’m just doing my job.”

“No, you’re not,” Steve argues. “Those books aren’t supposed to be moved.”

“They’re just books, Steve,” Bucky says. “Relax.”

“They’ll start breaking things,” Steve points out. “Or have you forgotten about the Emily Dickinson poetry?”

Bucky frowns at the memory.  Steve would feel bad about bringing it up, but he needs to get Bucky to _understand_. “That was an accident.”

“Which you caused by messing around with re-shelving.”

“It’d be safer for everyone if they all stayed in the same place.”

“But that’s not how this place works,” Steve argues. “Besides, magic can’t be fixed.”

“It’s just a curse.”

“It’s not a curse, Bucky. It’s just a charm.”

Bucky gives him a disappointed look. Steve takes a deep breath – he’s not going to argue about this again. He’s let himself get locked into this debate before and Steve knows Bucky won’t budge, but the idea that this place is cursed gets to Steve.

“I’m going back to work. And it’s your own fault if you get knocked out with a hardback.”

“I won’t,” Bucky says, like he’s so sure.

Steve grits his teeth and turns around.

“I’m going,” he repeats, and walks away, ignoring whatever comeback Bucky yells out.


	3. Chapter 3

“I can’t do it anymore, Nat,” Steve complains. “It’s been a week, but I can’t do it.”

“You’ll live,” she replies.

“But – ” Steve argues, but Natasha cuts him off.

“We’re going out,” she says. “Get ready.”

Steve sits up. “Where?”

“Palace - it’s a club. You’re going to go dance with someone - have some fun and get over this.”

“Are you saying I need to get laid?”

Natasha shrugs. “It could be good for.”

“Nat,” Steve complains.

“If you don’t want to, that’s perfectly alright, but we’re going out. That’s final.”

Steve knows he’s probably going to regret this later, but there’s no use resisting Natasha.

“Fine,” he says with a sigh.

Natasha smiles at him, and Steve goes to get ready. He’s not sure if he actually wants to find someone to hook up with – he was fine with it before, but now he can’t help but want _more_. Sure, his dating history isn’t so good these days, but he’s hopeful. Things can’t stay terrible forever.

Once they’re both ready, Natasha’s quick to summon a cab and before too long they end up at Palace, a club with bright, flashing lights and music that you can’t help but feel good listening to – the DJ clearly has a gift for musical charms.

Steve lets himself relax, and starts dancing – the music is such that the usual self-consciousness he has about it is gone. Natasha’s at the bar, ordering a couple of drinks before slinking into the crowd and handing him a drink.

“Drink up,” she whisper-yells in his ear, a wicked smile on her face

“Is it a double?” he asks.

Natasha nods in earnest, and he drinks it all in one, ignoring the burn of the alcohol. The taste is strong and dark, and after a few minutes, he finds himself relaxing even more.

Eventually, Natasha starts dancing with him, though as soon as someone catches her eye, she disappears into the crowd to pursue them, leaving Steve where he is. He doesn’t mind – Natasha’s more than capable of dealing with everything herself and if he’s alone, then it’s probably more likely he’ll attract some attention, even if the chances aren’t all that high in the first place.

Soon enough, he feels someone close by and turns to say a hello, but stops dead when he sees whom it is.

Bucky Barnes.

“What are you doing here?” Steve asks, panic rising in his chest as the effect of the music wears off in the face of legitimate fear.

“Dancing,” Bucky replies, leaning right in close so Steve can hear him.

Suddenly, Steve is supremely thankful for the low, purple light that hides the fact the exposed Mark on his arm is bright pink (although he does move his arm further away so Bucky won’t see it). Bucky doesn’t seem to be looking at it, and his own arms are covered by long dark sleeves of his leather jacket.

Admittedly, he does look good; though Steve’s not sure how the guy isn’t sweating in the heat.

Steve shakes his head and moves away from Bucky. He doesn’t want to deal with that now, and dancing _with_ him is a terrible idea, especially when the music is so good. There’s no need to waste that on dancing with someone he doesn’t like. The magic of this place might be good, but it’s definitely not enough to make him forget how much he dislikes Bucky.

Shooting a quick text to Natasha, Steve makes it to another corner of the dance floor and starts swaying with the music again. People begin to crowd around, pushing closer and Steve lets himself get lost in the song, good feelings drowning out his previous anxiety.

Eventually, he spies a woman shooting him appreciative glances. Steve smiles at her, and wonders if maybe the hook up idea wasn’t such a bad one after all. She’s pretty too – long dark hair and killer smile. The woman starts making her way over, but stops dead when she gets up close, shaking her head apologetically.

“Sorry, didn’t know you were taken,” she says, looking down at his arm. The Mark is thankfully plain, but it’s still obvious in the lights, which have shifted to a bluish colour.

“I – I’m not,” Steve tries to explain, but she’s already moving on.

 _Well there goes that_ , he thinks and tries to forget about it and makes a mental note to get Nat to teach him how to cover it up the next time they go out.

“Rejected again?” a voice asks and Steve turns to see Bucky standing there, a smirk on his face.

“Fuck off,” Steve says. “And what are you doing here anyway?”

“Dancing?” Bucky repeats. “You don’t own this place.”

“And you had to come over here to do it?”

“I didn’t think you’d move. You like things the way they are, right?”

Steve ignores the jab. “I’m going. Don’t follow me.”

Bucky holds up his hands. “Wouldn’t dream of it, Rogers.”

Steve turns around and stalks off. He needs to find Nat, and go somewhere else. Then he’ll be free of Bucky, and damn him if he’d let someone like _Bucky Barnes_ ruin his night. This was supposed to be some fun, and Steve’s going to have it.

But as soon as he hunts down Natasha, he sees her at the bar with a guy – someone she’s probably not going to go home with, but she looks like she’s having fun. Not wanting to drag her off while she’s having a good time, Steve decides the bar might be a better place to hang out – the drinks here aren’t awfully priced and he could use another one after his encounters with Bucky.

The bartender smiles sharply at him when he catches her eye, revealing pointed teeth.

“Beer, please,” he asks, and then impulsively adds a shot of vodka to his order. He gives Nat a nod of greeting when he catches her eye from across the bar. She gives him a small smile and he nods back – he can have a good time, just for her sake. If she finds out he’s in a bad mood, she’ll probably try to find someone else to hook him up with and although he might not be entirely opposed to that, he’s a little sore after that last rejection.

“Here you go,” the bartender says, and places the open beer bottle and shot of vodka on the bar. Steve swipes his card and then immediately downs the shot as soon as it’s paid for. It burns down his throat for a moment, but in this environment, the sensation is almost comforting.

“I thought you were going?” a familiar voice says.

Steve glares at Bucky, and deliberately takes a sip of his beer. “To get another drink. What are you doing here?”

“Same as you, apparently. Needed to get drunk after that?”

Steve shakes his head. “If I need to deal with you, yes. Not gonna be bitter about someone who wasn’t interested.”

Bucky raises his eyebrows like he doesn’t quite believe Steve, but doesn’t say anything. Steve takes a long drink of the beer.

“You might wanna slow down there,” Bucky says.

“I can hold my liquor,” Steve argues. “Just because I’m short doesn’t –”

“Just trying to help.”

“Well you’re not helping,” Steve says. “Please leave.”

“You’re the one following _me_ ,” Bucky replies.

“I am _not_ ,” Steve argues, although he knows it’s sort of true. He’d feel bad for lying, but he just wants Bucky _gone_. “And maybe you’re following me, huh?”

“I was going to get a drink! Is that a crime now?”

Steve just rolls his eyes. He’s done with this conversation, and leaving just seems like the better choice. He glances at Bucky, who he almost regrets getting mad at, but Bucky also didn’t have to come over here.

“Just leave me alone,” Steve says and walks off, feeling a little guilty. Bucky might not be the best person, but he shouldn’t snap at the guy for something that’s not his fault. It’s just magic.

//

Steve almost doesn’t go into work on Monday.  After the encounter at the club, he’s not sure he could face Bucky again, but after a look from Natasha, he decides to suck it up and go in.

Thankfully, Bucky still hasn’t turned up when Steve gets there, and he allows himself to entertain the fantasy that maybe Bucky is too sick or hungover to turn up today.

Clint hasn’t set up the map yet, so Steve goes and hunts down the office, which is Thankfully not too hard to get to today. Clint’s there, but he’s fast asleep. There’s not a single cup of coffee in sight, which explains a lot.

“Clint?” Steve asks. There’s no answer, so Steve moves further into the office and gives Clint a good shake.

“Huh?” Clint says, blinking rapidly. “Is it morning?”

“It’s morning,” Steve confirms. “I was looking for the map.”

“Shit,” Clint says, and looks down at his desk, which is covered in paper. “Would you and Barnes be right to do that?”

“Uh, sure,” Steve says, although he’s not keen on the idea of being stuck with Bucky while they work out the store’s current layout.

“Thanks man,” Clint says.

“No worries,” Steve says, despite the dread pooling in his stomach.

Once he’s back at the front desk, Steve knows immediately when Bucky walks in. Not because he’s looking out for it but because he can see the vivid pinkness of the Mark on his arm. Steve pulls his sleeve down self-consciously, already regretting not asking Nat about cover up options.

“Where’s the map?” Bucky asks.

“Not here. We’re doing it,” Steve replies.

“What’s Clint doing?” Bucky says, frowning.

“Busy,” Steve says.

“Then I’ll lead the way, I guess. You don’t seem keen on me following you around.”

Steve ignores the comment. He’s not going to start arguing over this again. “I’ll get the paper. You tell me what’s what.”

"Try not to fall behind,” Bucky says, smirking.

“I can keep up just fine,” Steve replies. “Just don’t try to fix anything yourself.”

Bucky’s smirk vanishes and turns into a full-on frown again. “But what if they’re not safe?”

“Then we’ll just close it off,” Steve says. “And besides, the store wouldn’t do that.”

“And you’d know?” Bucky pushes, like he’s determined to get Steve to admit there’s some inherent flaw in all of this.

“I’ve been working her longer than you have. I think I know this place by now.”

“It’s entirely unpredictable,” Bucky says. “You can’t know everything.”

“Can we just get to work?” Steve snaps. “If we don’t do this now, it won’t get done.”

“Whatever, Captain,” Bucky replies sarcastically.

Steve ignores that and heads back into the stacks. They’ve got a job to do, and Steve will be damned if he doesn’t get it done.

The first hour is surprisingly bearable – sure, Bucky does continue to grumble about the new shelving layouts and disjointed nature of the genre organisation, work gets done. For a while, Steve lets himself hope.

But then things start to go wrong.

“Uh, Steve?” Bucky asks as they’re moving closer to the back of the store. “Can this place just create more space?”

“What?” Steve says and looks around. Nothing looks immediately familiar – the sign above the shelving says romance, although half the books scattered in there are non-fiction science and a couple of things he knows contain some semi-powerful runes. “I don’t think so. We’re just a little turned around.”

“I don’t remember seeing so many shelves around here before,” Bucky says, although he doesn’t sound like he’s arguing a point  - he looks a little worried.

“We’ll be fine. Just walk straight and we’ll hit something more familiar in no time.”

“I think it’s getting darker in here. Should that be happening?” Bucky asks.

“It’s probably just a little overcast outside,” Steve replies. “I’m almost done with this map.”

“We should go back,” Bucky says after another while of wandering. Steve’s sure it hasn’t been too long since, so he doesn’t really worry too much about Bucky’s queries.

“Quit worrying about it. We’ll be done before you know it.”

“Steve.”

“Just shut up,” Steve snaps, but when he turns to look at Bucky, the guy is pale as a sheet. Steve immediately feels bad. “You okay?”

Bucky shakes his head. “I just want to get out of here.”

“Then we’ll go now. You want to get ahead on the sales stuff?” Steve says.

“I’ll do that,” Bucky says. “Which way out?”

Steve glances at his map and at the rows ahead of him. None of them quite match. “Not sure yet, but give me a minute.”

“Are you kidding me?”

“Just give a moment. I think the shelves might’ve shifted a little. Can you see the crime fiction from here?”

Bucky doesn’t reply and Steve looks back up at him. He can see Bucky’s metal arm, curled into a fist and a few of the plates shifting in a way that makes it seem like discomfort.

“Are you okay?” Steve asks.

Bucky just shakes his head. “Let’s just go,” he says firmly and squares his shoulders.

“We’ll be okay, you know? We just got a little lost,” Steve says as reassuringly as possible. He briefly wonders if this might be some sort of revenge on the store’s part for Bucky’s constant rearranging. Steve shakes his head – there’s no point in assigning blame now. They just need to get out of here.

“Not helping.”

“I’m just saying – I’ve been in situations like this before, and we’ll be fine. I promise, okay?”

Bucky seems a little more relaxed at that, but he’s still tense. Steve glances around desperately and finally the map starts to make more sense.

“Look, I got it. We’re just in the science fiction – so, not too far away from the front. Just in a bit of a corner,” Steve says and shows Bucky the map, so the other man can clearly see where they are.

Bucky takes a deep breath. “Let’s go then.”

“Just follow me,” Steve says. “We’ll be out in no time.”

True to his word, Steve manages to get them out pretty quickly from there. But it seemed Bucky was right about the light – the world outside is dark, although the lights in the store are on.

Steve’s phone suddenly buzzes in rapid succession, and he sees he’s missed a bunch of calls and texts, most of which are from Clint and his other co-workers.

_Clint [8:56]: Dude, where are u??_

_Missed Call – Clint [9:03]_

_Clint [9:15]: Steve. Did you get lost?_

_Missed Call – Clint [9:28]_

_Clint [9:29]: call me back. Please._

_Missed Call – Clint [10:15]_

_Clint [12:30]: I closed the store for the day. I’m so sorry._

_Clint [12:32]: Please don’t be dead._

_Missed Call – Clint [12:40]_

_Missed Call – Clint [9:43]_

_Clint [1:50]: sent Kate in._

_Missed Call – Clint [2:15]_

_Missed Call – Kate [2:19]_

_Kate [2:45]: I tried looking for you in there, but I couldn’t see you?_

_Missed Call – Kate [2:50]_

_Missed Call – Kate [2:51]_

_Kate [2:54] Call me. Or Clint._

_Kate [2:54]: Or someone._

_Clint [4:02]: I called a friend in, but they couldn’t find you anywhere. Tracking spells don’t work. If you get out, call me._

_Missed Call – Clint [4:15]_

_Missed Call – Clint [4:20]_

_Missed Call – Clint 4:40]_

_Missed Call – Clint [5:05]_

_Clint [5:16]: if I don’t hear anything by eight, I’m calling the cops._

Steve sends a hasty text back to both Clint and Kate, letting them know he and Bucky are fine.

“You okay to get home yourself?” Steve asks as he unlocks the front door. He spares a glance at Bucky, who still looks a little pale.

“I’ll be fine,” Bucky says. “And, uh, thanks for getting us out.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Steve says, suddenly feeling a little awkward.

“It’s not nothing,” Bucky says seriously. His eyes are fixed right on Steve, and Steve almost has to look away from the intensity of that stare. He suddenly feels incredibly aware of the Mark on his arm. “Just let me say thanks, Steve.”

“You’re welcome then,” Steve says. “And I’ll lock up.”

Bucky gives him a look. “You sure?”

Steve waves him off. “Seriously, just go home and I’ll tell Clint to cancel your shift tomorrow if you want.”

“I’ll be fine,” Bucky replies. “I’m not gonna be scared off by a little magic.”

Steve wants to argue that, because clearly, Bucky _was_ scared, but he figures this might be the time to keep his mouth shut. “Bye, Bucky.”

“I’ll see you tomorrow, Steve,” Bucky says, shooting Steve a small smile, and walks out the door. Steve watches him walk down the street and disappear around the corner.

Suddenly, Steve hears his phone ring again – it’s Clint – and he picks up.

“Oh my god, are you dead?” Clint says as soon as Steve answers.

“I already texted you,” Steve replies.

“How do I know you’re not a ghost?”

“Ghosts can’t use phones.”

Clint hummed thoughtfully. “Okay. And we did look for you, you know.”

“We got stuck. The store turned us around a bit.”

“A _bit_? You were gone the entire day.”

“It’s not that bad,” Steve insists.

“Fuck. I should be calling Barnes. Is he okay?”

“He was a little shaken up, but he seemed fine when he left. Should I be worried about him?” Steve asks.

“Nah – I’m sure he’ll bounce back. I mean, can’t be pleasant – uh, well, it’s a lot. But I’ll call him now,” Clint says. “Take tomorrow off. I’ll cover for that.”

“Oh, thanks,” Steve says, and distantly wonders what Clint was about to say about Bucky. It bothers him all the way home – was there a reason Bucky reacted so strongly?

He’d ask Bucky about it, but he doesn’t think the guy would give him a straight answer. Besides, they’re not close and getting trapped in a bookstore isn’t exactly a ticket to a close friendship. He has no claim on Bucky, no matter what the Mark on his arm says. They’re not soulmates or even friends – just people who _could_ be good together. Nothing more. Steve shouldn’t be bothered about this.

It doesn’t matter.


	4. Chapter 4

The next time Steve goes back to Arrow Books, things are different. He shows up early, as per usual but what’s not is the fact that Bucky’s already there.

And he’s holding two cups of coffee. Steve stares, wondering if the man is that terrible at waking up he needs multiple cups of it at once, but then suddenly one’s being held out to him.

“Hey. You like it black, right?” Bucky says, waving the coffee cup in Steve’s face. It’s not one from the break room, but a fancy paper cup that's clearly from a coffee shop.

“Oh, uh yes?” Steve replies and takes the coffee, feeling a little dazed.

“Good, because that’s what I got,” Bucky says and hands Steve one of the cups.

“Thanks,” Steve says and sets it on the desk beside him. “But, uh, what is this for?”

“Drinking?” Bucky replies with a smile, but then drops it. “It’s to say thanks – and I know, I already said it before. But it could’ve been a whole lot worse yesterday if you hadn’t gotten us out.”

“Did you make it happen?” he asks, squinting at Bucky. What if that was why he freaked out so badly?

Bucky’s eyes go wide. “No, of course not. I just mean you’re good at that sort of thing.”

“Oh,” Steve says, unsure of how to react to that. “Has Clint got the map done yet?”

Bucky shakes his head. “He’s in there now.”

“Oh, then what do we do now?”

“Drink coffee,” Bucky replies and takes a long drink from his own cup.

Steve takes a sip of his own, unsure of what to say next. This friendly, chatty Bucky isn’t someone he knows how to deal with. They’ve been fighting in almost every other interaction they’ve had, so this new friendliness is a foreign concept.

It doesn’t make sense.

For a moment, Steve wonders if this is some side effect of Carter’s charm.

 _Not everything is magic_ , he tells himself. Maybe he’s been too paranoid about all of this.

“So, you do much yesterday?” Steve asks.

Bucky shakes his head. “Just some reading. Ironically I haven’t had much time to do much lately.”

Before Steve can muster up any more small talk, he hears a loud crash come from the depths of the store. He spares a quick glance at Bucky, before they rush towards to the source of the sound. Clint’s standing there, looking a little annoyed at a stack of books that have tumbled off the shelf.

“You okay here?” Steve asks.

Clint waves them off. “I’m fine – oh, and the map’s done,” he says and hands it over to Bucky.

“Thanks,” Bucky says.

“Now, I’ll see you at the end of the shift. Please don’t get lost again,” Clint replies and turns back to the pile of books on the floor. “I’ll deal with this.”

Once they’re working again, Bucky doesn’t talk much, and Steve starts to wonder if this morning’s friendliness was just a one off. He doesn’t say anything to Steve as he moves in and around the store. A few times, he’ll speak up and ask a question, but that’s the extent of their interactions.

But they’re also not fighting – not even passively. Steve even starts to enjoy himself – he hasn’t had a shift this nice since well, he stopped working with Kate. The store itself seems happier too, as if the lack of animosity between him and Bucky was making it happier too.

“Yeah, uh, I’ve been taking lessons,” Steve overhears while he’s doing a price check. He glances over to where Bucky’s talking to a customer. She’s leaning in pretty close – definitely flirting.  

“Oh, really?” she asks. “Any good yet?”

Bucky just laughs. “It’s a work in progress.”

“Well,” she says with a smile. “Maybe you can show me sometime?”

Steve rolls his eyes at the terrible flirting.

“Well, magic isn’t an easy thing to pick up. You might be waiting a while,” Bucky replies.

 _Magic lessons_ , Steve thinks. _Bucky’s been taking_ magic lessons _?_

Right then, things start to make an awful lot of sense. No wonder Bucky’s been wandering around the store trying to move shelves. Maybe he wasn’t just trying to mess with the system. Maybe he really was trying to fix the store.

Steve suddenly feels terrible about all the times he’s yelled at Bucky for trying to interfere with the bookstore.

“You’ve been taking magic lessons,” Steve blurts out when Bucky comes back to the front desk.

Bucky looks surprised. “Oh, uh, yeah.”

“Is that why you’ve been at the shelves?” Steve asks, figuring he might as well go with it while he can.

“Uh, yeah?” Bucky replies, looking away. “Clint said it was fine.”

“You could’ve told me,” Steve says.

“You were pretty against the idea of me getting anywhere near the books.”

“I thought you were just messing with the store,” Steve replies. “Not learning about it.”

“Uh, well, I am?” Bucky admits. “I was trying to figure out a spell that would stop it from being so messy.”

“Oh,” Steve says, frowning a little. “I don’t think that’s possible?”

“Won’t know until I try,” Bucky says.

“Well if you need any help, I know some books,” Steve blurts out.

Bucky brightens. “Really? I didn’t think you knew much about magic.”

Steve gestures to himself. “You know I wasn’t always like this?”

“Like what?” Bucky asks with a frown.

“Not sick - I used to have more health problems than anyone else I knew.” Steve elaborates. “Magic helped fix that.”

Bucky’s eyes widen. “Oh,” he says. “You were sick?”

Steve shrugs. “Pretty badly. My friend Nat put me in contact with the right people. So I’ve picked up a few things.”

“Oh, well, uh sure. I’d like to read up on some things,” Bucky says a little awkwardly, like he’s not quite sure what to say.

“Well, if there’s anything specific, I can always ask Nat,” Steve offers. “She’s good with finding things.”

“We work in a book store.”

“Trust me, this place won’t want to give up its secrets,” Steve says in a mock whisper.

Bucky laughs. “Don’t I know it.”

//

Things seem to change after that. They’re _friends_ now, and Steve almost can’t believe how quickly it happened – just a couple of weeks before he’d hated the guy. It makes him wonder how he managed to hate the guy so much.

“Hey, Steve,” Bucky says when he arrives at the store, clutching two cups of coffee bright and early on a Tuesday morning.  

“You’re finally here,” Steve says. “I was worried.”

Bucky rolls his eyes. “I was getting coffee,” he says and hands Steve a cup. It’s become a thing between them now – Bucky turning up with coffee while Steve opens up.

“Thanks,” Steve says and drinks it eagerly. As always, It’s the good stuff  - not quite magical, but a damn near thing. He’s not sure exactly where Bucky keeps finding such good coffee, but it’s some of the best he’s ever tasted.

“No problem,” Bucky deflects and then grabs the map. “Mystery with the real crime today, huh?”

“The store thinks its funny,” Steve says with a roll of his eyes, like this hasn’t been done a million times before.

Bucky smiles. “Hilarious,” he says to the store.

“Oh, romance and science fiction have shifted again too – Clint forgot to put it down this morning,” Steve cuts in.

“Not enough coffee?”

“Probably,” Steve says, recalling how tired Clint had looked when he was wandering about the store earlier. There were also some strange bruises too, but Steve wasn’t sure what to say about that. As much as he liked Clint, he didn’t know much about the guy’s life outside of the store.

“Well, maybe I’ll have to start buying him some too,” Bucky jokes and takes a drink of his own.

“Where do you even get coffee this good?” Steve asks.

Bucky just smiles cryptically. “A secret,” he replies.

“Well, you can thank whoever makes it,” Steve replies. “I don’t think I’ve had coffee this good in years.”

“Then you’ve clearly been going to the wrong places,” Bucky says and rolls his sleeves up. Steve catches sight of the Mark on Bucky’s arm, but it’s barely visible under the cuff of his sleeve.

“How are lessons, going though?” Steve asks, trying to distract himself from staring at the Mark.

Bucky brightens. “Better than I thought – I’m starting on the transformation spells.”

Steve raises his eyebrows, impressed. “Those aren’t easy,” he says.

“Yeah, although I wish I could do some of those emotional spells – I’d be employee of the month that way.”

Steve laughs. “We don’t even have an employee of the month.”

“Well, there would be if I could do that,” Bucky replies, and then pushes up his sleeves a little further, metal and Mark on display. He doesn’t seem to notice it “I should get back in there.”

Sometimes, he wonders if he should mention the Mark to Bucky – after all, it’s been a couple of weeks now, and it still hasn’t faded. He knows it’s probably the right thing to do, but Steve isn’t sure he wants anything to change between them. They’re friends now, and you can’t just dump a revelation like that on someone.

So, he’s been avoiding it.

He knows it’s not his best idea – after all, now that they’re closer, Bucky might actually _notice_ the Mark and put two and two together. But Steve hasn’t got anything better, so it’s what he’s sticking with.

“Steve?” Bucky yells from the stacks, interrupting his thoughts

“What?”

“Can you come over here?”

Steve finds Bucky surrounded by a pile of books, all of them old and creepy.

“What happened?” Steve asks.

Bucky holds his hands up. “They attacked _me_.”

“You didn’t try to move them did you?”

Bucky shakes his head. “I mean, I wasn’t even trying,” he says, a little sheepish.

Steve sighs. “Well, maybe just avoid it for today.”

“I wonder if I could find a counter-curse for it,” Bucky says thoughtfully. “That might be useful.”

Steve raises his eyebrows. “Well, you can try.”

“It’s possible. Magic is all about change.”

“You think I don’t know that?” Steve says, gesturing to himself.

Bucky blinks. “Oh yeah. I forget about that sometimes. Shouldn’t it have made you taller or something, though?”

Steve rolls his eyes. “Not exactly. Just because I wasn’t sick anymore didn’t mean I was gonna suddenly become two-hundred pounds of muscle.”

Bucky laughs. “It would suit you, though.”

“Your flattery isn’t gonna distract me from this mess.”

//

“You should ask that boy out,” Peggy says bluntly after she purchases her latest set of books.

“ _What?_ ” Steve says, caught off-guard.

“Ask him out. Date him.” Peggy elaborates.

“Who? What?”

“That Bucky,” Peggy says impatiently, waving towards where Bucky is. Steve’s suddenly glad Bucky’s out of earshot now. He’d been around before – helping Steve find one of the other books Peggy had wanted.

“What? No?” Steve says, laughing nervously. “I don’t like him like that.”

“You two were getting on awfully well just now.”

“We’re _friends_ ,” Steve stresses, but he’s thinking about what Carter said. _The two of you matched like crazy_. Just because they’re getting along now shouldn’t mean anything more than that – besides, it’s not like a great relationship potential has to be romantic.

Peggy raises an eyebrow. “If you say so, but maybe you should date him. Don’t waste your time.”

“I’m fine with how things are.”

Peggy just nods. “I’ll see you later, Steve. Do think about what I said.”

“Bye, Peggy,” Steve says.

“What was that all about?” Bucky asks when Steve gets back to the counter.

“What was what all about?”

“Peggy? I saw you talking pretty intensely.”

“Oh, nothing. Just about one of the books she was reading,” Steve says. “We have different opinions on the ending.”

Bucky just raises his eyebrows, like he doesn’t quite believe Steve, but he’s not going to push the matter.

Steve tries to forget about Peggy’s conversation – it was ridiculous, after all. He and Bucky were just friends, and it didn’t matter what she or that Mark said about it.

//

In hindsight, Steve should’ve seen it coming.

His phone rings at around ten, just after he’s finished catching up on his current Netflix queue. He picks it up without thinking.

“Hey, Buck,” Steve says when he picks up.

“Hey, Steve,” Bucky says. “What’s up?”

“Nothing but Netflix,” Steve replies, scrolling through his queue for something interesting. “You?”

“Not much, but I kind of wanted to talk to you about something,” Bucky begins, all fake-casual. “So, I uh, went to a matchmaker a while back.”

“Huh?” Steve blurts out, not quite registering what Bucky’s said, but then it hits him all at once. “What?”

“Please don’t laugh at me. My friend Sam kept going on about it – how I should meet someone and, I guess he had a point?”

“But?”

“But nothing. I mean, I guess I just expected something to come out of it, but I haven’t heard anything yet.”

“You haven’t?” Steve asks, trying to keep his tone light. He very much _doesn’t_ want to have this conversation, but Bucky clearly wants to talk about it and Steve doesn’t want to begrudge him that. Besides, deflecting would be suspicious.

“Yeah, I mean, I guess it’s probably stupid to think about now, because I _know_ I don’t need that kind of shit, really. But it’s a nice thought.”

“I guess so,” Steve replies, unsure of what else to say. “I mean, you know I had all those bad dates a while back.”

“Maybe you should see a Matchmaker then,” Bucky replies.

Steve laughs. “I think I’m fine,” he says. “I mean, I’m okay with how it is.”

“You could totally pick up, if you tried.”

Steve snorted. “Please. I’m skinny and short – nobody’s gonna line up for that.”

“You totally could – it’s all about attitude.”

“And looks, Buck,” Steve replies. “You wouldn’t get it.”

“Why not?”

“I mean – you’re not bad looking, you know,” Steve says, suddenly feeling a little awkward.

“I have a metal arm.”

“It looks cool?” Steve says. “I mean, if it’s not something you’re—”

“Not many people have said that to me before,” Bucky replies.

“Well, they should’ve,” Steve says. “You’re a catch Buck.”

“Thanks,” Bucky says softly.

Steve smiles.

Pauses.

Realises what he’s been saying.  

“I’m glad I’ve got you,” Bucky continues, as if he hasn’t realised exactly what Steve’s admitted.

“Yeah,” Steve says, trying to cover his tracks. “You’re the best.”

Bucky laughs, and then starts to tell Steve more about his current magic lessons. Steve listens, but part of his mind is still distracted. He hopes Bucky doesn’t notice.

Once the phone call is done, Steve goes to Natasha to continue his existential crisis.

“I like him,” Steve announces, collapsing down on the couch next to Natasha.

She gives him a look. “Took you long enough.”

“You knew?”

She shrugs. “I assumed.”

“What do I do?” Steve says, even though he knows what she’s going to say.

“Tell him,” she says bluntly.

“But I can’t just tell him! That might make things weird,” Steve says.

“You have a Mark.”

“But he doesn’t know that.”

“You could say you just got it,” Natasha points out. “Make something up.”

Steve thinks about it. Maybe that would make things easier. But. He almost feels like it might be dishonest at this point – Bucky mentioning he got a Mark, and then Steve coming right out with _that_ truth.

“Steve,” Natasha says seriously.

“I know, I know, but it doesn’t feel right,” Steve replies.

“Then make a plan.”

“Plan?”

“Woo him, Rogers. If you want to suck his dick, then make it happen.”

“I don’t want to – um,” Steve says, suddenly struck with the image.

Natasha just looks at him. “We’re making a list.”

Steve looks at her warily.

“You’re never going to come up with this on your own,” Natasha says, already moving towards the kitchen for the vodka.


	5. Chapter 5

The plan is, as composed by a very drunk Natasha and Steve:

  1. Flirt
  2. Suss out interest
  3. Hang out with him more
  4. Invent more reasons to be close
  5. Flirt more
  6. Repeat steps 3-4
  7. Get closer
  8. Reveal feelings
  9. Ask him out
  10. Date him



Step one seems easy - simple, even. Steve’s flirted with people before. He can do this. It’s only Bucky.

 _Although_ , Steve admits to himself, _that might just be the problem_.

In light of this revelation, he’s started to look at things differently. Logically, he’s always known Bucky is an attractive guy – but now Steve _knows_ there’s feelings here, it’s like all these thoughts have been magnified.

Bucky doesn’t even seem to notice. He walks in, as always, with two cups of coffee and a smile on his face.

“Hey Steve,” Bucky says brightly and hands Steve the coffee like it’s nothing, which it pretty much is at this point, but that doesn’t mean Steve appreciates it any less.

Steve takes a sip from his cup, trying to hide his smile. “Thanks,” he replies. “You know, this coffee is pretty much the highlight of my morning now.”

Bucky blinks. “Oh, it’s nothing,” he replies. “I’ll go get the new stock.”

And with that, he darts off. Steve tries not to feel disappointed, but resolves that the next time Bucky’s around, he’ll try harder.

The rest of the day is peppered with Steve attempting to compliment Bucky, and Bucky himself seeming a little confused by the whole thing.

(“Your hair looks great.”

“Really? I didn’t wash it this morning.”

“Uh.”

It’s definitely not his best)

Frustratingly, Bucky doesn’t seem to _get_ any of it. Steve wonders if he might not be obvious enough, but as soon as he opens his mouth to say something a little bolder, he freezes up.

Maybe it’s the wrong move. Or maybe one made too soon. After all, starting small is probably better.

 _I’ll just have to step it up next time_ , Steve promises himself.

//

The next day, Steve decides it’s time to make a bigger move. Maybe flirting at work wasn’t the best idea – if he got Bucky outside of that, to hang out as friends, maybe everything would work out.

They’re nearing the end of their shift, and Steve’s been psyching himself up for the perfect moment, especially since Bucky’s been running around the store all day. It’s a rare moment when they’re together, just sorting out a new display by the front desk when Steve decides to go for it.

“So, Bucky, you – ” Steve begins, but is cut off by the front doorbell ringing. A man wanders into the store – he looks a little familiar, but Steve can’t quite place the face. Steve gets back to his work and thinks nothing of it until the man is at the counter.

“Is Clint here?” the man asks.

Steve looks over the man again. He looks a little like Clint. Steve wonders if they’re related.

“I’ll go check,” Steve says, but suddenly Clint’s right there, and he doesn’t look happy.

“What are you doing here?” Clint asks.

“I need help.”

Clint looks at him warily. “What about?”

“Business,” the man replies. “I need money.”

Clint frowns. “No.”

“Clint –”

“No. Not this time,” Clint replies.

“It’s important. The Russians are onto me.”

“Barney, just go. Or I’ll kick you out.”

“You wouldn’t do that to your own brother, now would you?”

Clint’s expression hardens. “Watch me.”

Barney gives Clint a look, like he’s just waiting for his brother to give in. Steve wonders what’s the deal between them, but he’s not sure how to ask.

Suddenly, there’s a powerful wind, and books start flying off the shelves, moving directly towards Barney. One narrowly misses his face.

Steve ducks instinctively, but the books aren’t heading anywhere towards him. He glances over at Bucky, who’s got a hard look on his face. Clint just stares down his brother.

“Is that anyway to treat me?”

“I told you not to come here.”

“I needed to talk to you about it,” Barney replies. “In person.”

“You could’ve called.”

“Would you have picked up?”

Clint sighs. “We’ll talk outside,” he says, and then turns to Bucky and Steve. “Clean up in here.”

“Was that you?” Steve asks as they’re picking up the thrown books.

Bucky looks away and starts picking up books.

“That was probably for the best,” Steve continues. “And hey - you know what this means?”

Bucky looks back at Steve, several books already in his hands. What?”

“You’re getting better - you made the books move,” Steve says and holds up a couple of books. “They wouldn’t move like that without a pretty big push.”

Bucky blinks. “Oh. I didn’t think about that.”

“Well, it’s something else, Buck. You’re really getting the hang of this.”

Bucky smiles brightly - he looks really happy and Steve starts to imagine just kissing him right then and there.

“I think I might start looking into more advanced spells now,” Bucky says. “I had no idea I could do that.”

“What’s next?”

Bucky looks away. “I was thinking, maybe curse-breaking.”

“Oh, I didn’t know you were into that,” Steve says, surprised. Not many people are particularly into curse-breaking these days and the cursebreakers Steve’s met are few and far in between. Curses don’t really have much of a place in day to day life.

Bucky looks away. “Well, I guess I just want to help people.”

Steve glances at Bucky’s metal arm, and wonders. “Is that how you - oh, nevermind,” Steve says quickly once he realises what he’s saying. He doesn’t mean to be rude - curses are pretty serious things.

“Yeah, it is, actually,” Bucky says after a moment of silence.

“Oh, sorry,” Steve says. “We don’t have to talk about it.”

Bucky shakes his head. “I should tell you.”

“If you’re sure,” Steve says. He doesn’t want to push Bucky into anything.  

Bucky takes a deep breath, glancing around the store to make sure nobody else is nearby. “I used to work for Hydra,” he says. Steve’s eyes widen at the name.

“Really?” he says. Hydra had been pretty infamous a few years before - now, it was nothing more than a horror story long forgotten in the news cycle. They used to be one of the biggest in the business of magic, despite all the rumours of suspect practices and the use of illegal curses. Of course, that had all fallen apart once the truth got exposed, but many people still did get their lives ruined by that corporation with little to no compensation.

Bucky nods. “Yeah. You know how it is with them - they paid well, and I was pretty desperate. Got the job straight out of college and for a while, it was good, great even. But then things went wrong.”

He breaks off for a moment and Steve feels a little awkward, unsure if he should say anything, but then Bucky starts speaking again.

“I was out on an assignment - there’s this guy, Zola, who they were looking to work with again. I was supposed to seal the deal, but then I ended up with this instead.”

“He cursed you and they didn’t do anything about it?”

Bucky just shrugs. “I don’t think they cared. They fired me for incompetence and my records were wiped, if I even had any. There were a lot of things they liked to keep off-record.”

“They can just do that?” Steve asks, suddenly angry. “It was their fault.”

“Not the way they see it. Apparently I didn’t have curse insurance.”

“Isn’t it standard?”

“Not if you signed the kind of contract I did. They’re tricky people.”

“That’s not right,” Steve argues. The thought of anyone hurting anyone like that, hurting _Bucky_ like that didn’t sit right with him.

Bucky just shrugs. “It is what it is.”

“Still, you didn’t deserve any of that,” Steve says, laying a hand on Bucky’s metal arm. “Thanks for telling me.”

Bucky gives him a small smile. “I’m glad I have you as a friend,” he says.

“I’m glad I have you too.”

//

“You’re pretty great with the store, you know?” Bucky says out of the blue as they’re stacking books in the middle of their shift - it’s been a nice one too, few customers and relatively little hassle organising the shelves for the day.

Steve blinks. “Oh, it’s nothing. I mean, you’re the magical one here.”

Bucky shakes his head. “All I do is take a few classes. You’re actually good at this stuff – y‘know taking care of this place. I’m not sure how much this place likes me since I keep messing with it.”

“I think it’s warming up to you, though,” Steve says, though he’s not just talking about the store anymore.

Bucky gives him a smile. “You think?”

“Yeah, definitely.”

“You know, it’s been better ever since we’ve become friends. I think you’re its favourite.”

Steve smiles at him. “That’s a nice thought.”

Bucky just shrugs. “It’s the truth.”

And with that, Steve decides to throw away the plan and just _go_ for it. It’s not like it was particularly helpful anyway – if he’s going to do this, he’ll just ask Bucky out.

For a moment, the words are right there on the tip of his tongue. He looks over at Bucky. Their eyes meet. Steve takes a breath, ready to just _say_ it -

“Yo, anyone here?” A voice calls out, disrupting the silence. Steve blinks and shakes his head.

“Over here, Quill,” Bucky calls out.

Quill wanders over. “Shift’s over. Thought you two were dead.”

Bucky noticeably pales. Quill bursts out with laugher. “No, man, just joking. You should see your face. I just got here early. Figured I should see my old shift-bro.”

“Well, I’m here,” Bucky says, a slight edge to his voice.

“That you are,” Quill says. “Any idea where the science fiction is today?”

Bucky gestures to the left corridor. “Over there,” he says.

“Oh man, can you show me? I haven’t been in all week - long story that - but I probably shouldn’t go in alone,” Quill continues, looking a little wide-eyed. Steve’s not sure he’s seen the guy actually look anything other than tired before. “Besides, I’m not sure me and the stacks are so chill anymore.”

“Fine,” Bucky says, a little reluctantly. “I’ll show you.”

Quill brightens. “Thanks dude. Man, this is just like old times. Starlord and the Winter Soldier go!” he says.

“Do I want to know?” Steve asks Bucky.

Bucky just shrugs. “He thinks it sounds badass.”

“It’s _cool_ ,” Quill adds, totally serious. Steve tries not to roll his eyes.

“I’ll be back in a minute,” Bucky says.

Steve watches him go, resolving not to let the moment drop next time around.


	6. Chapter 6

“So, uh, want to have dinner later?” Steve asks, heart beating in his chest.

Bucky doesn’t look up from the pile of books he’s been trying to sort before they finish. “Uh, sure,” he says. “What time?”

“Seven work for you?” Steve asks.

“Sure, should be done with class then,” Bucky says and shoots him a smile.

“Awesome,” Steve replies, smiling.  “Meet me at mine? I know a great place nearby.”

Bucky nods, and goes back to the books he was stacking. He’s smiling now, and Steve feels a rush of happiness.

Seven couldn’t come fast enough, and Steve spends the rest of the day counting down the hours. He’s restless as hell, and goes through several outfits before settling on the same jeans and a slightly nicer shirt than the one he wore to work.

Natasha even gives him a nod of approval when she gets home. “You finally did it?”

Steve nods. “Yeah,” he says, unable to stop smiling.

“Good. Took you long enough,” Natasha replies. “Now, go fuck him. At his place, please.”

Steve rolls his eyes. “I’ll try,” he says. He’s pretty confident at this point it’ll work out – Carter’s words, and the now slightly-faded mark on his arm have signs pointing to a yes. Sure, it’s no guarantee of consent or desire, but it makes him feel better about the whole thing.

“Well, I’ll leave you to it,” Natasha says and disappears into her room.

Bucky arrives dead on seven, just as promised. “The shirt’s a good look,” Bucky says when he arrives. “Is it new?”

Steve shakes his head. “Haven’t had a chance to wear it recently,” Steve replies.

“Well, good thing you found it. Where are we headed, then?”

“I was thinking the Triskelion,” Steve says. He’s been there before on dates, usually the second or third, and it’s always been somewhat lucky. Steve knows it might be a little presumptuous, but he figures he needs to be obvious.

“Ooh, Fancy,” Bucky says. “I should’ve worn a better shirt.”

“You look fine, Buck,” Steve replies. “Always do.”

Bucky rolls his eyes. “Lead the way, Rogers.”

The walk there is pleasant, and Steve can’t help but feel hopeful – maybe by the end of the night, everything will be fine.

When they get there, Bucky’s eyes widen at the décor – it’s definitely a nice place. The interior is all white, with golden happiness runes painted on the walls, glittering in the candlelight. It’s a prime date location, one Steve’s particularly proud of finding.

“You didn’t have to take me here,” Bucky says when they’re seated by an incredibly formal waiter.

“I wanted to – besides, the food’s always good here. You want anything to drink? They’ve got a bar.”

“Just a beer. Or wine, if that’s what this place is selling.”

Steve wanders over to the bar and orders the drinks, excitement bubbling in his chest. He knows there’s so much more of the night to go, but it’s just so _nice_ being around Bucky.

“Hey,” a woman says, sliding up beside him. She’s blonde and pretty, definitely the sort of person who doesn’t usually talk to Steve. He’s immediately a little wary.

“Uh, hey,” Steve says after a pause when he realises she’s talking to him.

“You come here often?” she asks with a smile.

Steve shakes his head. “I wish. Tonight’s just a treat.”

“Well maybe I could convince you?” She asks, leaning in closer.

Steve blinks. “Oh, I’m on a date.”

The woman flushes and pulls back. “Sorry.”

“It’s alright,” Steve replies. The moment is a little surreal, especially considering the general lack of attention he gets. Any other day before Bucky, and he might have taken her up on her offer.

“I’ll just go hide in a corner somewhere. God, I shouldn’t have done that.”

Steve smiles at her. “It’s flattering, honestly,” he says and then turns back to the table, ready to make a joke about the interaction when he gets back. Maybe Bucky will get a kick out of it. He doesn’t seem much like the jealous type. In fact, he’s even smirking at Steve a little.

“So, you gonna go hit that or what?” Bucky asks when Steve sits down.  

Steve blinks. “What?” he asks.

“That woman. You going to go for it?” Bucky says, nodding towards the bar where she still stands.

Steve shakes his head. “Of course not.”

“Why?”

Steve’s stomach sinks. Bucky doesn’t _get_ it. “I, uh, nevermind,” Steve replies, trying to hide his disappointment.

Bucky gives him a look. “Is there someone else?” he asks.

Steve blinks, and feel his stomach drop as the realisation hits. How does Bucky not _get_ it?

He’s halfway through feeding out another excuse before he stops himself. They’re here now, and why shouldn’t he say something? Bucky’s not getting any of his hints, and he clearly needs to be more transparent.

So, he rolls up his sleeve. “You could say that,” Steve says, holding it out for Bucky to see. His heart’s beating faster and faster in his chest, but he _has_ to do this.

Bucky looks down at Steve’s arm, confused. The Mark is bright pink against his skin – a little faded over time, but it’s still _there_.

“You’re my match,” Steve says when Bucky doesn’t say anything.

Bucky’s quiet for another long, painful minute.

It just figures that’s when their waiter comes up.

“You two ready to order?”

Steve looks over at her. “Just another minute, please.”

He turns back to Bucky, who still looks like he’s been hit in the face.

“I never got a call,” Bucky says with a frown. “Are you sure it’s not someone else here?”

“Look at your own arm. Besides, I got your name.”

Bucky rolls up his own sleeve, eyes bugging out at the sight of the mark, which is vividly pink against his skin.

“Why didn’t Carter call, then?”

Steve looks away. “You hated me  - we both hated each other. I thought if I could wait it out, then it’d go away. But. We’re here now.”

“Was this some experiment?” Bucky asks, suddenly wary.

Steve shakes his head. “No – God. I did hate you before, but then we started to become friends, and the rest just happened,” he explains, feeling a little sick at the idea Bucky would think this was all some sort of _experiment._

“You have feelings for me?” Bucky says, looking at Steve with deep confusion.

“Yeah, Buck,” Steve says softly.

Bucky doesn’t say anything to that. He just sits back, leaning against his chair. He looks a little shell-shocked.

“Are you going to say anything to that?” Steve says. He’s not hoping for anything now, not really. Bucky’s expression says enough.

Suddenly, he feels like an idiot for saying anything. He should’ve known not to disturb things – after all, what they had was just potential. It’s not like Bucky was looking to fall in love with Steve of all people.

“I – I should go,” Bucky says finally.

“Bucky – I,” Steve starts, but Bucky’s already standing up and heading for the door.

Steve almost tries to stop him, but he’s frozen in place.

//

Two days pass, and Steve’s almost dreading the Monday to come. Bucky doesn’t try to call, or even send a text. But that doesn’t stop Steve from checking his phone every other minute, doing it so much that Natasha even tries to hide it from him at one point (“This is an intervention, Steve,” she’d said, but Steve had given her a Look, and she’d backed off. He almost regrets not doing it now, after all this silence).

So, it’s a surprise when he hears the buzzer ring out in his apartment. Steve almost falls over when he sees the grainy camera picture of Bucky standing there outside. Steve presses the buzzer to open the door. Bucky disappears inside.

The next three minutes feel like the longest of Steve’s life.

“I’m sorry,” is the first thing Bucky says when Steve gets to the door. “I shouldn’t have just left.”

Steve sighs and looks away. “I shouldn’t have dumped all of that on you like that. Can we just forget it?”

“What if I don’t?”

“Then just leave me al—oh,” Steve says, but cuts off when he looks up at Bucky, the full impact of his words hitting Steve all at once. “Really?”

“Yeah,” Bucky replies. “I thought a lot about what you said after I left. Then I wanted to go back, but I realised it was probably too late.”

“Why didn’t you say anything before, though? I was flirting with you.”

Bucky frowns, confused. “What – you. Was that what that was?” he says, eyes widening with realisation.

“I even asked you out. How didn’t you get that?”

Bucky just shakes his head. “I guess I thought you were just being friendly.”

“You thought asking you to a fancy restaurant was _friendly_?”

“I didn’t know that until I got there. I thought you meant a diner.”

“It was dinner!”

“People go on friendly dinner dates all the time, Steve. Besides, you knew I had this Mark. I didn’t want to make things weird by telling you I liked you.”

“You should’ve just said something.”

“Remember, you hated me too. I thought I should just wait it out.”

“I’m surprised you didn’t notice it all the time we were together. I nearly had a heart attack at Palace when you were dancing. I thought you’d see it then. Or any other time.”

“You know I don’t really look at my arms a whole lot,” Bucky replies.

“I know that now, but I thought you’d get it, and then it’d be weird.”

Bucky just sighs. “We’re a pair of idiots.”

“So, what are we going to do about this, then?” Steve asks.

“Well, I was thinking we might need to go on a proper date, for one,” Bucky says. “If you want to.”

“Of course I do, Buck,” Steve says and bravely takes a step closer, so he’s right in Bucky’s space.

“That’s good to know,” Bucky says with a smile and moves a hand to rest on Steve’s shoulder. Steve leans in and then they’re kissing. It’s light at first, an exploratory touch, but soon it becomes deeper and Steve opens his mouth a little, feeling a light, happy feeling at the sensation.

They break apart eventually, and Steve can’t stop himself from laughing. He used to hate Bucky, and how he’s kissing the guy in the middle of his apartment. It’s almost ridiculous, as to how far he’s come since then, but he realises he wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.

“Laughing at my kissing skills are you?”

Steve shakes his head. “No. It’s great, it’s just, this is kind of crazy, don’t you think?”

“Oh, definitely,” Bucky replies. “But I’m glad we’re here now.”

Steve kisses him again.

**Author's Note:**

> find me on tumblr @ agentalien

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Art for "The Perfect Match" by furyofthetimelords](https://archiveofourown.org/works/7893247) by [Lovesfic (me23)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/me23/pseuds/Lovesfic)




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